L'opération Turquoise a commencé officiellement hier [23 juin] vers 15 heures

Roger-Petit, Bruno

Mousset, Benoît

24 juin 1994

19940624

07:00:00

CEST

Journal de 7 heures [1:27]

L'opération Turquoise a commencé officiellement hier [23 juin] vers 15 heures

1994-06-24-07fr2.mp4

4679617 bytes

France 2

INA

Journal télévisé

FR

- The French army on a humanitarian mission in Rwanda, here we go. The beginnings of Operation Turquoise yesterday [June 23] in the early evening. French soldiers entered Rwanda through the Zaire border.
- The first hills of Rwanda are now very close to a few kilometers from their positions, at the Zairian-Rwandan border on the Goma airport which serves as a logistics base for Operation Turquoise.
- The first French detachment already arrived: 450 soldiers ready to go into action. A makeshift camp was set up while the officers began setting up their PC.
- 17 rotations of military transport planes continue to bring equipment and men to this advanced base, a prelude to logistical missions.
- Operation Turquoise officially started yesterday [June 23] around 3 p.m. The first reconnaissance elements, around forty soldiers, entered Rwanda. Direction Cyangugu in the southwest of the country. Their mission: to help 8,000 Tutsi threatened by Hutu government militias.
- Today or tomorrow [June 25], second phase from Goma. Direction Gisenyi. According to General Jean-Claude Lafourcade, who commands the operation, only one-off missions that are as brief as they are small are possible.
- The French deployment will end on Saturday [June 25]. Several detachments from mainland France left Roissy or Istres airport yesterday [June 23]. They should be back within three months.